incautious nauseous

In the past two weeks...COLD.

Down to -10 degrees at the coldest, so cold that ice formed inside our windows where normally we'd have a bit of condensation.

Although we were prepared for up to 8 inches of snow, we only received a couple of inches, and the wind scoured the open fields to a mere dusting.

That meant a nice pile-up elsewhere, though.  Lovely sharp shelves and undulating ridges.

And my favorite...snow tracks!  Curious birds, walking...

...or briefly alighting, leaving behind a spread of wings.

Lots of rabbits with their easily-identifiable double tracks...

...and patterns.

This is something with a tail...most likely a field mouse.

Believe it or not, even our moles were active!  Moles don't hibernate, and they've absolutely decimated our side yard this past month.  Here you can see a fresh pile of soil, evidence that one has burrowed to the surface recently.  Claudia was tucked safely away in our temperature-controlled barn...too cold for cats outside!...but I hope she has some happy hunting soon.

We made sure to keep the feeders full during this cold snap, and the birds responded.  I don't think I've seen our front tree so overloaded with them before!

All puffed up to help stay warm.

Now our weather has warmed to near 60 degrees, and there are reports of spring bulbs starting to prematurely sprout.  I haven't been able to go outside and check, because I've been laid low by an attack of anxiety nausea.  

Anxiety nausea, if you don't know, is where your subconscious mind and your body decide together that there's a threat.  They react by flooding you with nausea-inducing adrenaline, leaving your rational mind behind, yelling like a pesky kid:  "Wait up, guys!!"  I've suffered from it since elementary school, miserable episodes that have lasted months at a time.  You can't reason though them.  You can't "breathe them away," as the unhelpful doctor at Urgent Care suggested.  Medicine?  Haven't found any yet. Nothing helps.  You can't eat.  You can't be move around.  You're in bed, prostrate with nausea, until things beyond your rational control decide that the threat is removed.  

Frances, trying to make me feel better in his own way

This particular attack was triggered by a recent migraine.  I haven't found a prescription that works well against them yet, so I'm anxious about developing one.  I felt a familiar pressure last week...no migraine came, but it didn't matter. The pressure alone was enough to trigger an episode of anxiety nausea.  Last night I moaned to Todd, "Tomorrow, I'll be able to say that seven days with anxiety nausea makes one (weak) week!"  Being able to joke about it means that I'm feeling better, and so does the fact that I was able to actually eat three small meals (after a week of choking down saltines).  Already this morning, I can tell that I'll be able to shower today(!!!).  This particular attack is going to be a short one, but phew!  What a week.  Still, in my weak and distracted way, I've been excited about the new year.  I have so many amazing plans and projects in my notebooks.  I want this to be a life-changing year and I'm going to work hard to make it happen.

Happy New Year!!  

in the pink

 It's the final days for the peonies...

The sudden shift from 60s to 90 degree heat has frizzled the delicate petals.  But they were so beautiful while they lasted!  Meanwhile...my roses are all opening up.  

They don't love incessant rain and then punishing heat, but we'll see how they do.  They look so beautiful in the back house garden.  Because I love remembering how far it's come...here is the before, from three years ago.

And now...

Almost entirely perennial, with a heavy emphasis of yellow, one of my favorite colors in the garden. The other gardens that border the house are delightfully overgrown, as well.

Just the way I like it!  See Claudia in a lot of these pictures?  She's always following along, or "contributing" to the household in other ways.

yes...she ate the whole thing!

She's not the only contributor around here...a black rat snack slithered out of our garage this morning.  They are wonderful to have around for keeping the pest population down!

We have even more helpers around here.  Last week, I discovered a dead mouse in one of our humane traps in the barn.  We normally check them daily but somehow, this one was missed.  I threw the mouse out onto the driveway.  Just ten minutes later, opening the door to come back up to the house, I disturbed a whole flock of turkey vultures!

Here's one hanging out in the yard last week!

They can smell dead animals from a mile away.  I couldn't believe that the flock had located that tiny mouse in a matter of minutes!  Pretty amazing.  

Inside, it's all coming up kittens.  They play hard, and they sleep hard.

Klaus is a bit more dignified, searching out dark closets for his naps, but Frances is an exuberant napper and will stretch out anywhere.

But, he generally prefers my lap, which makes it a little bit difficult to work sometimes!

Klaus will occasionally crawl into my lap, but he's much too serious to go in for the full cuddle.  I think that he's mostly curious:  what's the big deal?

As dignified as he is, he purrs continually while playing.  What a sweetie!  

These guys have kept me so busy that I just haven't had time for hobby fun.  However, I just bought enough of this Three Irish Girls yarn to make a sweater!

Regrettably, I frogged the last sweater that I was working on.  I bought all of these gorgeous Icelandic wool...

...but it was scratchy and have no "give," kind of like working with cotton.  My hands ached while knitting.  I hated to waste the money...but I was able to resell the lot for nearly what I paid for it!  Win win.

Have a great week!  

Pics Fix

After 18 months in storage, and after living 18 months with blank white walls...WE HAVE PICTURES.  Oh, how I've missed you!  Everything that I hang has a special significance. 

A tiny (and only remaining) photo of my great-grandmother's house, where I spent many happy afternoons playing in her garden.  A photo of my landlady from my college days, a wonderful surrogate mother to me, along with her daughter.  A Western Union telegram from the Navy to my great-grandmother in 1945, asking if my grandfather was old enough to enlist.  And a children's art piece - bears and bees - both great loves.

I also added a quilted wall hanging to that corner.  It's so bright and cheerful now!

A photo of the grandparents who raised me, with the "surprise!!" letter from my grandpa to his parents, informing them of his sudden wedding.

A hallway lined with my favorite children's art...a trio of framed Victorian bird puzzles in the entryway...and lots of other beloved nature prints in other areas of the house.  Other favorite family photos, too, like this one, which shows my grandpa and his siblings riding in a goat cart in 1926 (note:  my great aunt is still alive!).

Lest I seem like a wall hog, Todd is happy with whatever I want to put up.  :)

It's also been so wonderful to see my pottery again!  My Emma Bridgewater mugs and dishes pair nicely with my navy-colored German pottery.

There are still some stacks of things that don't seem to fit anywhere just yet, like on the bottom shelf of this cabinet...

...but things are slowly falling into place.  It's amazing! 

Now that these things are done, I can turn my attention to some seasonal tasks.  Dahlia tubers don't do well in our cold winters, so they must be dug up in the late fall...

...and stored in some water-retaining medium, like compost, until spring. 

Mice are loving our slightly-warm barn, and the live animal traps have to be checked and emptied daily. 

Todd walks them out to the edge of the property and releases them.  They'll find another place to live, or become food for one of our beloved outdoor animals. 

This season brings such beautiful sunrises.  Winter is my absolute favorite with creams, peaches, and pale blue.

We get some bright colors too!  I can see the sunrise from my office window, and it's amazing how every day is a bit different.

Meanwhile, the cats stay blissed out on their heat mat.

But they're also kissing on the couch...

...or participating in fabulous late-afternoon group naps.

Have I mentioned that I love this season?  There are no group naps in summer!  :) 

Have a great week!